Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Emma Smith.
Hi Dr. Emma, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I moved to Nashville, I knew exactly two people. Neither was in the mental health field. I had built my entire professional reputation in Washington, D.C.—a city that thrives on intellect, policy, and ambition. Suddenly I was starting over in a place that hums with artistry and heart. Nashville has a rhythm all its own, and building Soliloquie here felt like an act of faith in both myself and the city.
My path into existential and sex therapy began long before I hung my shingle. My undergraduate degree was in philosophy, and even then, I was drawn to the raw honesty of existential thought. The acknowledgment that life is difficult, that pain and uncertainty are inherent parts of being human, but that we always retain agency in how we respond and what meaning we make shaped not just how I live, but how I practice.
Sex therapy entered the picture as I worked more deeply with trauma, particularly sexual trauma and military-related trauma. I realized traditional trauma therapy often stopped at symptom management: lowering anxiety, reducing flashbacks, stabilizing depression. But what about desire, pleasure, connection? Those weren’t luxuries to me; they were the very things that made healing feel whole. I wanted to help people not only survive their past but reclaim their capacity for joy and intimacy.
Soliloquie was born from that conviction. I wanted to create a space where therapy wasn’t a transaction, but an experience of depth, care, and intentionality. For clients whose lives carry a certain level of public visibility—leaders, executives, creatives—the ability to have privacy and thoughtful containment matters. My goal was to build a practice that reflects the highest level of clinical care and philosophical curiosity, one conversation at a time.
The name Soliloquie comes from my love of classical literature. A soliloquy, in theater, is a moment where a character speaks their truth aloud, often unseen by others. It’s how we, as the audience, finally understand their inner world. I think therapy functions much the same way—offering people a space to hear themselves clearly, sometimes for the first time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Starting over in Nashville tested every ounce of grit I had. I didn’t have a network here. I didn’t have name recognition. I had to build it all… slowly, intentionally, from scratch. But the truth is, that challenge gave me an edge. It reminded me that I’m not afraid of the work.
I’ve also always been told I’m “too ambitious.” Early in my career, someone close to me once said, “You’re just one of those people who will never be happy.” At the time, it stung. But in hindsight, I understand where that came from. I grew up in a small working-class town in northern New Jersey, where stability and sameness were often the goals. That was never going to be my story.
I’ve always been drawn to innovation. Whether it was bringing trauma and sex therapy principles into corporate or military spaces, or integrating existential philosophy into modern relational work, I love building bridges from seemingly disparate parts. When I started doing this a decade ago, it was considered “out there.” Now, it’s the frontier of our field.
That said, I wasn’t immune to my own internal barriers. For a long time, I believed I needed to be “above reproach” before stepping into the public sphere. I waited until I had earned my PhD, completed every certification, and spent years in practice before allowing myself to be visible. Then, one day, I picked up a book written by an Instagram-famous therapist who had been practicing for less time than I had. It hit me like a lightning bolt: the only person keeping me small was me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Today, my work moves between clinical practice, teaching, writing, and creative entrepreneurship. I love that each piece reflects the same heartbeat: helping people live with greater meaning, freedom, and connection.
At Soliloquie, I offer individual, couples, and sex therapy for clients who are ready to look deeper than surface-level “solutions.” While many people come to me for help reconnecting to desire, my work often expands into the broader landscape of intimacy, identity, and meaning. I also facilitate occasional groups and workshops designed to help people understand themselves and their relationships through the lenses of embodiment, philosophy, and presence.
My clinical work is as diverse as the people I serve. I often work with individuals and couples navigating ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, or kink/BDSM dynamics, and those deconstructing the religious or cultural narratives that have shaped their ideas about sex, pleasure, and worth. Historically, I’ve primarily worked with women in my individual practice. Lately, however, I’m seeing many more men confronting issues of arousal and desire (including erectile difficulties, delayed ejaculation), and the quiet shame that can accompany them. These are not just “performance” issues; they’re deeply human experiences that speak to how pressure, identity, and vulnerability intersect in modern masculinity.
It makes sense that those pressures would be particularly apparent here. Nashville is a city of excellence. People come here to be the best at something (e.g., music, business, creativity) and that pursuit of mastery comes with its own pressures. I understand that drive. My clients often have lives that look perfect from the outside but feel unsustainable on the inside. They come to me because they want to live more fully in what they have built.
As both a clinician and business owner, I’m clear on my priorities: my clients’ care comes first. Everything else (e.g., strategy, growth, visibility) must serve that mission. That clarity has helped me grow Soliloquie into something that feels truly aligned with who I am, rather than something I’m constantly chasing.
How do you define success?
I used to think success was a finish line; some fixed point I’d reach once I’d proven myself. But I’ve learned that the reward for doing deep inner work is simply the privilege of doing different work. Growth is ongoing, not a milestone.
These days, I define success by direction, rather than a destination. Am I moving toward greater freedom? Am I living in alignment with my values? If so, I’m succeeding. For me, growth doesn’t mean scaling up into a massive group practice; it means growing deep, not wide.
Autonomy and Freedom are my highest values, and I protect them fiercely. Financial stability, creative expression, influence, etc… all of those things are beautiful. To me, they’re expressions of freedom, not replacements for it.
If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be: Don’t wait until you feel ready. You won’t. Do it anyway.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to expand Soliloquie’s reach beyond the therapy room through my new podcast, and through consulting with organizational leaders to strengthen their emotional intelligence and capacity for compassionate leadership.
My work sits at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and human connection. And as Soliloquie continues to evolve, I hope it remains what it has always been: a space where people can speak their truths out loud, and in doing so, come home to themselves.
Pricing:
- $250 Individual Counseling (50 minute)
- $300 Couples Counseling (60 minute)
- $100 Group Sessions (75-80 min)
- $2100 Intensive Session (6 hour)
- $1400 Intensive Session (4 hour)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soliloquie.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/emmasmithphd
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/EmmaSmithPhD
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmasmithphd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPJ9ntA34kf_ZwyhRt5pQ
- Other: https://theintimatephilosopher.podbean.com/
